GHS can’t confirm if there are fake Coronavirus vaccines in Ghana - Dr. Achiano

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has reiterated its warning to Ghanaians not to patronize fake COVID-19 vaccines reportedly in the system.

According to the GHS, only appointed health officials can be trusted to administer the jab to Ghanaians.

Programme Manager of the Extended Programme on Immunization, Kwame Amponsah Achiano, says the service does not deal with the importation of vaccines. He said the vaccines are procured only through the Ministry of Health (MOH) and are deployed subject to the approval of the Food and Drugs Authority, FDA.

Dr Achiano spoke to Alfred Ocansey on 3FM’s Sunrise Morning Show.

“So if fake vaccines are coming they will be coming through some (other) means. I am just assuming without admitting that those vaccines will not be those that we will be using.

"Therefore, this serves as a warning to those who might be getting vaccines outside our system; they could be something else so I have to tell the fact that it is only the ministry that can procure the vaccines; those vaccines will even have to be validated by the FDA. If people are selling fake vaccines I bet you it is not from us,” he stated.

His statement comes on the back of reports that some countries are recording fake vaccines on their markets.

The Serum Institute of India, SII, said this week that it is suspending major exports of the Astrazeneca COVID-19 vaccines.

With Ghana having taken its first consignment of the vaccine from SII through the COVAX facility, there are fears vaccine supplies could be affected.

Dr Achiano added: “We have indication that we will have a new stock within the next week or two but we have it at the back of our minds that COVAX is seriously negotiating so we get the second consignment. The purchasing order is done already.”

“If you don’t have control you just pray. Within our plans, we haven’t resigned our fates to only Astrazeneca. We opened up because we could read in between the lines that there was going to be global challenge even if India had opened up entirely. We opened up and planned for other vaccines. We have Sputnik V already passing through the FDA verification and others,” he added.

As of yesterday, Thursday, 25th March, 487,000 Ghanaians had received their first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccines.